Atlanta Evaluating Reduced Speed Limits (bus, places, traffic)

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by DreamerD

Yeah, me neither. I see a state trooper sometimes right around the area 75 merges into the 85 but I don't think people are getting pulled over for speeding. It's most likely accidents and/or expired tags or something. I turned off of Ivan Allen one time to get onto the highway and the signs were so confusing. I almost went into the lane designated for HOV and it came up so quickly. I had to rush to get into the right lane. Thinking about a debate that the forum was having in another thread, I wonder if it was this area they were referring to and how cops were pulling people over left to right. Other than these kind of things, it's really hard to speed downtown due to the congestion.

The only ticket trap I know of downtown is the Five Points intersection and its "NO TURNS" signs.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Was this child using the crosswalk legally. Was driver speeding. Link didn’t say.

All I saw was this:

We have emailed Atlanta police to find out who that driver is and whether that person will be cited but have not heard back.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

The only ticket trap I know of downtown is the Five Points intersection and its "NO TURNS" signs.

Haha. The only ticket I've received in over eight years of owning my current car, was at that intersection, on the day I got my license plate, with my wife laughing at me from the passenger seat. I actually had to hand the officer my license plate because it wasn't even on the car yet.

[citydwelling]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Was this child using the crosswalk legally. Was driver speeding. Link didn’t say.

Goddamn dude it's a middle school aged kid. It's probably a street that's designed to encourage drivers to speed; we have them all over the place. Consider the possibility that it's the street itself that could be a factor before blaming a child for being hit by a car.

[jetgraphics]

According to a new report by the National Safety Council. The NSC estimates there were 40,100 motor vehicle deaths last year [2017]...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-say/82613144/
But only a single-digit number of rail passengers died in all but five of the years from 1990 through 2012.

The obvious solution is to revert to electric traction rail as the major means of transportation. Unfortunately, that would require the end of government meddling (subsidies and penalties) that promoted the automobile / petroleum / pavement hegemony and penalized rail. The irony is that rail is the most efficient form of land transport (90% savings on fuel, based on rolling resistance). But for some strange reason, when governments operate rail mass transit, they're money losers (ex: AMTRAK). Whereas between 1890 - 1910, private enterprise was more than capable of funding and operating rail systems nationwide - at a profit. (Of course, this is before income taxation, and the fixed fares that prevented transit companies from passing on higher costs to their customers)

In addition, these same fledgling rail companies were often the pioneers in electric power generation, as well as the builders of "trolley parks" (amusement parks) to generate ridership on week ends.


In Atlanta's case, it would be very simple to build a robust urban and interurban rail system, based on existing rights of way.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by citydwelling

Goddamn dude it's a middle school aged kid. It's probably a street that's designed to encourage drivers to speed; we have them all over the place. Consider the possibility that it's the street itself that could be a factor before blaming a child for being hit by a car.

This is the section of road where it happened. Oddly enough, in the Street View, you see other people crossing the road there as well.

There are no crosswalks there. The closest one is 1,000 feet to the east, or 1,400 feet to the west. Seems like a prime spot for a signalized crosswalk. Oddly enough, that median you see in the back is fairly new. Should have installed a crosswalk at that point.

Originally Posted by jetgraphics

According to a new report by the National Safety Council. The NSC estimates there were 40,100 motor vehicle deaths last year [2017]...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-say/82613144/
But only a single-digit number of rail passengers died in all but five of the years from 1990 through 2012.

The obvious solution is to revert to electric traction rail as the major means of transportation. Unfortunately, that would require the end of government meddling (subsidies and penalties) that promoted the automobile / petroleum / pavement hegemony and penalized rail.

Oh, good. This again...

I always wonder where the incredible difference in numbers comes from, because the NHTSA's number for 2017 was 37,133.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

This is the section of road where it happened. Oddly enough, in the Street View, you see other people crossing the road there as well.

There are no crosswalks there. The closest one is 1,000 feet to the east, or 1,400 feet to the west. Seems like a prime spot for a signalized crosswalk. Oddly enough, that median you see in the back is fairly new. Should have installed a crosswalk at that point.



Oh, good. This again...

I always wonder where the incredible difference in numbers comes from, because the NHTSA's number for 2017 was 37,133.

And here's another site:
https://oli.org/about-us/news/collisions-casulties

Year Collisions Fatalities Injuries
1981 9,461 728 3,293
1982 7,932 607 2,637
1983 7,305 575 2,623
1984 7,456 649 2,910
1985 7,073 582 2,687
1986 6,513 616 2,458
1987 6,426 624 2,429
1988 6,617 689 2,589
1989 6,526 801 2,868
1990 5,715 698 2,407
1991 5,388 608 2,094
1992 4,910 579 1,975
1993 4,892 626 1,837
1994 4,979 615 1,961
1995 4,633 579 1,894
1996 4,257 488 1,610
1997 3,865 461 1,540
1998 3,508 431 1,303
1999 3,489 402 1,396
2000 3,502 425 1,219
2001 3,237 421 1,157
2002 3,077 357 999
2003 2,977 334 1,035
2004 3,077 372 1,092
2005 3,057 359 1,051
2006 2,936 369 1,070
2007 2,776 339 1,062
2008 2,429 290 992
2009 1,934 249 743
2010 2,051 260 887
2011 2,061 250 1,045
2012 1,985 230 974
2013 2,101 232 975
2014 2,296 262 871
2015 2,080 237 1,047
2016 2,049 255 852
2017* 2,122 271 844
2018* 2,214 270 819

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by jetgraphics

According to a new report by the National Safety Council. The NSC estimates there were 40,100 motor vehicle deaths last year [2017]...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-say/82613144/
But only a single-digit number of rail passengers died in all but five of the years from 1990 through 2012.

What's interesting here, is that you are using the fatality numbers for all deaths related to vehicles while using only the passenger deaths related to railroads. There was another quote in your article: "Overall, the number of railroad fatalities has fluctuated during the last decade, from a peak of 851 in 2007 to 673 in 2012, according to the Federal Railroad Administration."

Now, how many people are in direct contact with rail every day vs. people who are in direct contact with vehicles? How many people are passengers on trains daily vs. cars. You can't just compare direct numbers. Now, I guarantee you that rail is safer given the fact that it's on a fixed-route, usually separated guideway. But it's not nearly as flexible as the majority mode of transit for the vast majority of locations.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

This is the section of road where it happened. Oddly enough, in the Street View, you see other people crossing the road there as well.

There are no crosswalks there. The closest one is 1,000 feet to the east, or 1,400 feet to the west. Seems like a prime spot for a signalized crosswalk. Oddly enough, that median you see in the back is fairly new. Should have installed a crosswalk at that point.

Agreed, and not just a crosswalk but a HAWK signal. Signalized crossings are lifesavers.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

Agreed, and not just a crosswalk but a HAWK signal. Signalized crossings are lifesavers.

Logical ones, yes.

But if they get put up in unexpected places or are hard to see (like after a curve), they can be the opposite.